Front Range
AvalancheAnonymous · Apr 22, 2015 · Front Range
Weather
Sunny and clear all morning.
Snowpack
Keyhole #1 at 12,000 ft faces southeast.
Avalanche
As I skied into Keyhole #1 below Pawnee Peak the snow cracked around my boots. My partner reported a loud whomp. The slide started right as my ski tracks hit the fracture line in the picture. I immediately started to stop skiing but my momentum still carried me to the side of the slope nearer the cliffs. The slide flowed downhill for at least 200 yards and was about 50 feet wide. I had stopped on the steepest part of the slope and suddenly needed to make a jump turn to get to the other side. The hanging snow above me was urgently scary. Under direction from my partner I skied to the other side of the couloir, put skis on the pack, and booted out. After the slide we proceeded to climb back up Pawnee and then make our way out using less steep slopes.